Longer days, warmer evenings and weekends spent outside. Summer in Australia is made for outdoor living.
Whether your outdoor entertaining area is a sprawling garden, poolside space, courtyard or compact deck, now is the perfect time to give it a little attention before summer entertaining begins.
And with Christmas gatherings, barbecues and long lunches just around the corner, getting started early means you can focus on enjoying the space once the busy season arrives.
From refreshing, tired furniture to adding outdoor wall art and those all-important finishing touches, here are a few ways to get your outdoor entertaining area ready for summer.
Start with a seasonal refresh
After months of cooler weather, a good clean can make an enormous difference.
Pressure wash paving where appropriate, clean outdoor furniture, remove leaves and debris and give decks, fences and exterior walls a little attention. Check cushions and outdoor fabrics for signs of wear and replace anything that has seen one summer too many.
It is also a good time to look at your outdoor entertaining area with fresh eyes.
Are there spaces that feel empty? Is there a large blank wall that could become a feature? Could the furniture layout work harder for the way you actually use the space?
Sometimes a few small changes are all it takes to make an outdoor area feel new again.
Create spaces for people to gather
Think about how you want to use your outdoor space over summer.
For larger entertaining areas, creating different zones can make the space feel more inviting and functional. You might have a dining area for long lunches, relaxed seating for drinks and conversation, and additional spots throughout the garden where guests can sit.
Outdoor benches can be particularly useful when entertaining, adding extra seating without the visual bulk of individual chairs.
A sculptural garden bench can serve double duty, providing somewhere to sit while becoming part of the overall landscape design.
Give the garden some attention
A little garden maintenance now can make a big difference by the time summer arrives.
Trim back overgrown plants, remove anything that has not survived winter and introduce fresh planting where garden beds are looking sparse.
When choosing new plants, consider how they will work alongside the other elements in your outdoor area. Repeating colours, shapes and textures can help connect planting with furniture, pots and outdoor décor.
This is also a great opportunity to introduce garden art or sculpture amongst the greenery. Metal garden sculptures can add height, shape and visual interest, while creating a feature that remains in the landscape throughout every season.
Don't forget the walls
Exterior walls, fences and screening are often some of the largest surfaces in an outdoor entertaining area, yet they are easy to overlook.
Outdoor wall art can transform a blank wall into a focal point and help an outdoor area feel more like an extension of the home.
Large metal wall art works particularly well in outdoor spaces because it can introduce texture and dimension without taking up valuable floor space. Depending on the design, the artwork can also cast changing shadows as the sun moves throughout the day, bringing another layer of interest to the space.
Pool areas, courtyards and covered entertaining zones can all benefit from treating the walls as part of the overall outdoor design.
Add interest with garden sculpture
Not every feature needs to sit against a wall.
A freestanding garden sculpture can create a focal point amongst planting, define an area within a larger garden or add interest to a space viewed from inside the home.
Look at your garden from different perspectives when deciding where to position a sculpture. Consider the view from your outdoor dining table, through windows and doors, from the pool or as you enter the garden.
Pieces inspired by organic forms can work particularly beautifully within a landscape, complementing the movement and texture already found in surrounding plants.
Think about lighting
Good outdoor lighting can completely change how an entertaining area feels once the sun goes down.
Consider a combination of practical and ambient lighting. Path lights and task lighting provide visibility where you need it, while softer lighting around seating areas, garden beds and architectural features creates atmosphere.
Lighting can also be used to highlight outdoor art and garden sculptures after dark. A carefully positioned light can emphasise the texture of metal artwork and create dramatic shadows against nearby walls or planting.
Bring in the finishing touches
Once the larger elements are sorted, introduce the details that make an outdoor entertaining area feel inviting.
Outdoor cushions, pots, greenery and tableware are easy ways to refresh your colour palette for summer. Natural materials and textures can help create a relaxed feel, while decorative pieces add personality.
Rather than filling every available space, choose a smaller number of pieces that have presence and allow them room to breathe.
Outdoor art can be particularly effective here because it provides a permanent design element that works well beyond a single season.
Get Christmas ready early
If your home becomes the gathering place over Christmas, getting your outdoor area organised before December can make the lead up considerably easier.
Think about whether you have enough seating, shade and table space for additional guests. Check your outdoor lighting and make any repairs or improvements before the calendar starts filling up.
If you are planning to introduce handcrafted or custom pieces to your outdoor space, ordering early also allows time for them to be made and installed before Christmas entertaining begins.
Make your outdoor space somewhere you want to be
Preparing your outdoor entertaining area for summer does not have to mean completely redesigning it.
A refreshed garden, better seating, a beautiful piece of outdoor wall art or garden sculpture and a few thoughtful finishing touches can be enough to transform the way a space looks and feels.
At Entanglements, we have been handcrafting metal art in Melbourne since 1998, creating outdoor wall art, garden sculptures, screens and functional pieces designed to become part of the spaces in which we live.
So, before the first summer gathering makes its way into the calendar, take a look outside. Your outdoor space might just be ready for a little summer refresh.
